1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mechanism for lowering and raising a basket in a cooking pot and, more particularly, to an apparatus for attachment to an existing cooking pot.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of devices are known for raising a cooking basket from a frying pot after the expiration of a predetermined time interval. Generally, these devices are for use in commercial kitchens. An example of a commercial fryer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,690,246. Such devices are generally inappropriate for home use, however.
Devices more appropriate for home use are also known including the cooking machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,215,929 which automatically raises a basket from a frying pot after a time period has expired.
A further deep fat fryer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,915,000 which automatically pops up to remove the food from the cooking medium after a predetermined period of time. The foregoing are integrally formed with the cooking vessel, thereby making clean-up more difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,078,786 discloses a mechanism that is external to the cooking vessel for automatically raising a cooking basket after a predetermined period of time.
A problem occurring in home cooking or boiling is that the cooking medium, such as oil, fat, or water must be heated to the desired temperature before the food product is placed into the cooking medium. The cooking pot must be attended to during heating of the cooking medium to determine when the cooking medium has reached the desired temperature so that the food can be placed therein. Also, many of the known automatic cooking pots have the lift mechanisms formed as an integral part thereof so as to make clean-up difficult.